Russia’s Putin tightens grip on elites with overseas asset ban
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich owns England’s Chelsea football club, a fleet of luxury cars, a collection of modern art, homes around the world and a 160-foot superyacht with room for three helicopters and its own submarine.
U.N. veto powers to meet again on Syria Thursday
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The five permanent U.N. Security Council members will meet again on Thursday to discuss an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria last week as Western powers consider possible military action against the Syrian government, …
Sri Lanka minister says U.N. rights chief’s report won’t be fair
COLOMBO (Reuters) – A Sri Lankan minister on Thursday accused U.N. Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay of acting without transparency in evaluating the country four years after the end of its civil war and said her report would be unfair.
Military escalation in Syria will worsen civilians’ plight: ICRC
GENEVA (Reuters) – Any escalation of the Syrian crisis following an apparent chemical weapons attack will aggravate civilian suffering, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday.
Tropical Storm Juliette kills one near Mexican tourist hub
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Juliette blew through the Pacific Mexican tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas early on Thursday, killing one man, knocking down trees and causing electricity blackouts, local emergency services said.
Ghana’s Supreme Court rejects opposition challenge to 2012 vote
ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an opposition challenge to President John Mahama’s victory in presidential elections, a ruling that should ease political uncertainty in the booming African oil- and cocoa-exporting country.
Liberia’s education system ‘a mess’ – President Sirleaf
MONROVIA (Reuters) – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has branded Liberia’s education system “a mess” requiring a complete overhaul, days after all 25,000 high school students sitting state university entrance exams failed.
Rwanda says Congolese forces shelling its territory
KIGALI (Reuters) – Rwanda accused neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday of persistently shelling Rwandan territory and said such “provocation” could no longer be tolerated, after a flare-up of fighting in Congo’s war-torn east.
Six children killed by landslide in Honduras
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Six children died when the house they were in collapsed in a landslide after heavy rains in northern Honduras, emergency services said on Thursday.
Egypt arrests senior Brotherhood politician El-Beltagi
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police captured senior Muslim Brotherhood official Mohamed El-Beltagi on Thursday, security sources said, as they pressed on with a crackdown that has put most of the Islamist group’s top leaders behind bars.
